According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian forces launched an attack on Russian regions using over 80 drones overnight. The drones specifically targeted Russia’s Rostov region, which shares a border with Ukraine to the southeast.
Since January, Kyiv has been utilizing drones to target oil refineries and hubs located on Russian soil, including those in Rostov. This is part of a larger campaign to disrupt gasoline production, which fuels President Vladimir Putin’s war economy.
The Defense Ministry released a statement on Friday, stating that they successfully prevented a terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime using drones on Russian territory. Russian air defense systems were able to intercept and destroy 87 Ukrainian drones, with 70 of them aimed at the Rostov region.
According to the Defense Ministry, air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed multiple drones in various regions of Russia. These included two drones over the Belgorod region, two targeting the Volgograd region, six over the Voronezh region, six en route to the Kursk regions, and a staggering 70 over the Rostov region in the south of the country.
The statement also mentioned that one drone was shot down over Crimea, a region that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. However, it is important to note that this annexation is not recognized internationally as Russian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his desire to reclaim the Black Sea peninsula, leading to increased attacks on the region, particularly targeting air defense systems and Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region, reported a significant drone attack on the city of Morozovsk, resulting in a fire and disruption to the local power supply, leading to blackouts in several settlements.
According to Ukrainian media, a Russian military air base is reported to be located in the city. It is said that Russian bombers, including Su-24, Su-24M, and Su-34 jets, are stationed there. In response to the ongoing war, Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian military bases, considering them legitimate targets.
In the Voronezh region, the governor, Alexander Gusev, stated on Telegram that an unused tank at an oil depot was damaged by debris from a falling drone. He assured that there were no casualties, infrastructure damage, or fire.
Furthermore, Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of Ukraine’s air force, reported on Telegram that Russia launched an attack overnight. The attack involved the deployment of 14 missiles and 17 kamikaze drones. Oleshchuk mentioned that Ukraine successfully intercepted and shot down seven cruise missiles and 17 kamikaze drones.